Dry storage bottle cooler



April 14, 1942 c. F. MuNsHowER 2,279,483Y

DRY STORAGE vBOTTLE COOLER Filed sept. 15, 1939 2 sheets-sheet 1 A f /f Wm Clarence FMzz/mkogrer April 1 41942- c. F. MUNSHOWR 2,279,483

DRY STORAGE BOTTLE COOLER Filed Sept. 13, 1939 .QSheets-Sheet 2 inf/swag" laZn Y Clarence Y Patented Apr. 14, 1952 DRY STORAGE BOTTLE COOLER,

Clarence F. Munshower, Columbus, Ohio, assignor, bymesneassignments, to .Colbar, Inc.,

`Columbus, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application september 1s, 1939, serial 16.294324 Claims.

This invention relates to 'improvements in the construction of mechanically refrigerated coolers, and has particular reference' vto'that type of cooler employed in maintaining Vrelatively large numbers of beverage-containing bottles under conditions of cold, dry storage.

Restaurants, hotels and beverage dispensing establishments require in the conduct of their business large coolers capable of simultaneously receiving and cooling inanexternallyvdry condition several hundreds Of beverage-containing bottles. It is, therefore,` important that` such coolers'should be so designed as to .compactly receive` relatively large numbersof bottles, ad-

mit of ready selection andremoval of such bottles, and to provide for rapid and uniform cooling of bottled beverages, so that the latter will possessrdesired temperatures upon removal from the cooler. Y

Bottle coolers now commercially available of the mechanically refrigerated type are subject to the following criticisms: first, the limited storage capacity which such coolers possess per,y cubic feet of storage space, secondthe inability of such coolers to rapidly reduce the temperature of the bottle beverages placed therein, and, third, the

'inability of such coolers to uniformly'cool toa requisite temperature all bottles placed therein. It is the aim, therefore, ofthe present-invention to provide a bottle cooler having an unusually high storage capacity for standardtwelve ounce bottles,` receiving a greater number of such bottles per cubic feet of storage space than other standard types of coolers now available for this purpose. Such increasedstor-a age capacity is attained in the present invention primarily by the provision o a novel means for stacking and arranging the bottles inthe several compartmentsl of the cooler cabinet.

Another salient feature of the present inten-. tion is the provision of refrigerating elements in the cooler so formed and disposed thateach bottle under storage will directly and physically contact with a cooling element, so that the bottles will' be cooled in the main by conduction and only in` a secondary way by convection, whereby not only' are the bottles and their contents more lrapidly cooled than heretofore, but exacting uniformity is attained in temperature regulation, so that each bottle anditscontents description and wherein the accompanying drawings, y Fig. 1 isa perspective viewof a bottlel cooler 1ig. 2 l is atop plan. view t erect; Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudi formed in'accordance with thesent' inventior l ysectional view Fig. 4 is a perspective viewl of fthe cooling'plates; parts thereof being br ken way and shown in section; j

Fig.` 5 is a detail perspective view disclosing partment dividers.; .Y y Y Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic 'View of the refrigeration circuits.

the means for supportirigthe removable colmn Figa-f? is a vertical transverse sectionalrview taken through the cooler. y

Referring more particularly Ito the drawings, the numeral l `designates`. the chest-like cabinet of the bottle cooler comprisingthe present invention; This cabinet vmaybe of anydesired `exvternal .conguration'and the walls thereof formed Y from standard materials employed in refrigerwill attain closely regulated temperatures of a y V,desired low order. 's Further objects and advantages of the inventibn will be gained by reference to the following ator'or cooleN construction'- Usually, these walls are heavily irlulated to resist heatgzransmission.

Y nlnhternally, the ,cabinet is of box-like lorm, hav'- 'inga bottom 2, vertical `front and irear walls 3v and' 4, respectivelyfand vertical end-'wal1s"5. The open top of the cabinet, through whichaccess. is provided to its interior, dis preferably closed Aby means of a pluralityof sliding, horizontally disposed doors or covers ofgthetype indicated ',atl.,I These'doors are` also of heavy insulated construction and travel in guiding grooves 1. In thecooler disclosed, there are four of the .doors or covers 6, although any suitable number may be employed.

These doors-.engage with transversely extending supporting strips Bextending across the open ,top'of the cabinet. `The opposite faces of each of' the strips 8 are :reversel'yinclined to `correspond with the inclination 'or' bevel along the edges 'ofthe dpors. This permits the doors to slide upwardly and move over the upper edges of the strips 8 in order that one door may be posi` tioned over the other when access tothe individual compartments' 9 within the cabinet is desired. Preferably, each door'is provided; with a recessed area Ill in itsv upper surface, andacros'si each recess there extends a rigid bar I-l 'By this means, the lids"or co vers 6 ymay beconveniently.

grasped andby sliding movements adiranced between positions of opening and closure; '4

Arranged vertically in longitudinally spaced'- f order within the cabinetare vertical refrigerat- "ying-.jor-coolingplates I 2.- One of these plates is i f applied to the inner surface oi each of the end walls I, and,l in addition, in the cabinet shown,

/lthe cabinet.

three partition plates, appropriately spaced toV form the compartments 9, are situated. These each bottle to be not only rapidly cooled but cooling plates are of a standardized design and are commercially known as vacuum cold plates.

`Each plate comprises a thin hollow sheet metal body with the surfaces vthereof protected by a are disposed copper tubes or coils I3 kthrough which a normally gaseous refrigerant is circu--A l lated. Anystandard mechanically operated rebe placed either within the .coniines of thefcab` inet I, or more remotely positioned with respect thereto, depending upon the necessities of installation. I

The compressor of such a refrigerating system\ has been indicated at Il. and', in order to assist in maintaining uniform temperatures throughout theinterior of the cabinet,- the pressure out- ,-let pipeline Il of the compressor extends to a pair of expansion valves lijand4 I1, as'shownin corrosion-proof z inccoating. Within the interior 10' oi?v the bodies forming the cooling-plates I2, there to possess the same low temperature as the other bottles under storage. When a bottle contacts with the applied surface of the refrigerating plates, the cold being conducted to the walls of the bottle establishes, in all probability, a tlermal circulation or movement of the liquids with\` in the bottles, thus causing an accelerated reduction in temperature oi the liquids.

In most coolers now availableforfbottled beverages, the bottles are placed in mechanically cooled compartments so that only certain of the bottles come into direct ,contact with the cooling frigerating system may be used in conjunction 15 elements,` the remaining bottles being cooled by with the tubes or coils I3. 'Such a systemmay conv e`ted air currents established by the refrigeration of the Vcompartment space, the result .being that .the .bo es more distantly removed attempted; lack `of uniformity iii beine' `-`temperatures still prevails. 4In the present construction, each bottle has directfphysical 'cntact'with `Aa refrigerated element.

Fis. s. vThe.einfiaiisionovalve" ls Yis disposed con.

tiguous4 to the inlet ofthecoil I3a arrangeminoneof the` end wall cooling platesl 12a, while the expansion valve II isarrang'ed in or contiguous to the inlet'of the coil 'Il b arrangedin the end wallcooling plate I2b., l

Following passage of the refrigerant through" the coil I`3a, saidfrefri'gerant passes'to' a coil |30 arranged in the partition plate llc. Likewise,

following the passage of the refrigerant through the coil Illbjoi* the plate. Ib, the saidrefrigera'nt is delivered to the coil i3d ofthe partition' plate Ild. rIn order- Athat the central partition plate` I2e will have a temperature( approximately that of the remaining cooling for lpartition plates, the outlets of the coilsl l3c and i3d merge in a cornmonf pipe or fitting and center the coil I3e within'the plate I2e, passinjg'through the coil I3e and -ieturning to the compressor system byway `of thev return line Il. By the employment of these split refrigeration circuits, I am able to balance the temperature'throughout thel interior of the cabinet within limits o f approximately 2 F. and the arrangement is therefore important in uniformity in temperature-control.

partments may 'Inasmuchas most dispensers or bottled`-beverases carry many diierexitbrandsv or makes of such beverages, vit is often found\ onvenient to subdivide Aeach of thecompartmen 9, so'that the' subdivisionsmay each receive a beverage of a single type. l V'Ihe subdivision off-the combe conveniently veilected by the provision of reticulated dividers I1 which,l at

their lower ends, rest on the support I5 and `at their upper ends are formed with lateral extensions I'8. These extensions are received witli in pockets Iii-provided at intervals valong the llongitudinakedges ofY the strips` 8, `so that" the 40- dividers maybe positioned'wherever desired and securely supported instheir selected operative positions. i

The bottom oi.' each 'of the compartments' 9 'i is'provided with'aremovable bottle support I5. Each oifthesesupports has oppositely inclined upper surfaces I6, ithe said supports being higher adjacent their centers and sloping' downwardly toward ythel partition wallsA of the cabinet.

i Standard bottles are placedv on the surfaces I5, as disclosed in Fig. 3 and also placed one on another in superposed tiers `or stacks with the reduced necks of the bottlesdisposed in intertting order, as shown in Fig.' 2. This provides for a very compact stacking of the' bottles so that a maximum number thereof may be received within each vcubic 'foot of storage 'space Within Also, the inclination of the surfaces-11.1.1.

the bottles to positively gravitate cooling plates lI2 so that the enlarg tions ofthe bottles will directly ancfi'physcally contact with the refrigerated surfaces",`df said cooling plates. By' thus conditioning 'each bottle' stored within the compartments 9 intofdirect contact with the'refrigerating elements, the cooling ofthe liquids' contained within the bottles 75 In view of the foregoi'ggit win be seen that l the Apresent invention' provides-` a bottlefcoolerl which'cools'byV virtueof the principleof conduction, Athat is, by direct contact'of each-bottle under storage` with a refrigeratedv cooling unit;

the resuit of this Construction. being' rapid and uniformk cooling of all bottles placed in tl'ie cooler..

Byv the formation and arrangement of the com. partments 9, 1 the bottles are 'istacked or nested in extremelyr close order, 'so-that; a magimum number'of-such bottles may be storedjn each` cubic foot of storage space. By theprjvislon of the removable dividers Il, each compartment can be subdivided in a minimum of time andwithoutthe employment oi special tools to effect the operation. The rack oir-bottle support/Iain the bottom of the cabinet maybelifted out forf- `conveniencein cleaning the Vinterior of the cabinet and,. in addition, the construction of" said rack or-support issuch Aas. t:iinsure the` contacty of the bottles' with the coolingA units 'whloh,-in fthis instance yare in theform of the plates. or

panels It'.` It of 4course-within the scopetpi` the invention to employ other types of cooling i units.. They split 'refrigeration' circuits passing Athr'ouglri the `cooling plates, provide for thebal'- ancing 'of the ,temperatures throughout thel interior of thecabinet, so that such' temperatures Ymay be held 'Within unusually closey limits.

` The sliding lids of the top of the cabinet provide `ready access to' each of the comp' artments so that it is a very simple matter to load Aor unload the compartments of bottles. There `are no l moving parts in the cooler proper, lsuch ask fans or blowers which demand attention or require repair. Essentially the cooler is quite simple in construction and maintains the bottles placed therein in a dry state so that labels thereon do not become wet or moist and easily removed from the bottles.

I As illustrative oi' the storage capacity of a coolerrformed in accordance with the present invention, a cabinet having outside dimensions of 60 in. by 33 in. by 28 in., with a remotely positioned compressor unit, will hold 30 cases or 720standard 12 oz. bottles.. Moreover, all these bottles may be quickly cooled to usable temperatures within a period ot several hours, so that if the cooler is filled to its desired capacity at the end of a days business, all Vbottles will be available for use or 581e the v:snowing das.V 'rms is in` marked contrast with standard coolers of more conventional design, where the recommended perlod of storage is 24 hours.

What is claimed is:

/ 1. A cooler for bottled beverages, comprising ai cabinet, a plurality of vertically arranged 1ongitudinally spaced refrigeratingppanels stationarily mounted in said cabinet, the spacing of said panels producing a plurality of bottle storage compartments, and oppositely linclined supports provided in the bottom of said compartments for the reception of bottles resting on their sides, the inclination of such supports being such as to I positively maintain the -base end of each bottle in direct contact with at least one of said refrigerating panels. 1

2. A- cooler for bottled beverages comprising a box-like cabinet having an open top and insulated walls, a plurality vof vertically arranged, longitudinally spaced refrigerating panels stationarily mounted in said cabinet, the spacing of said panels `producing-a plurality of bottle storage compartments, movable closures for the open top 0I said cabinet, and bottle supporting means arranged in said compartments and serving to positively maintain the base end of each bottle positioned in said compartments in direct contactwith said refrigerated panels.

3.' A cooler for maintaining bottled beverages said walls being such as tomaintain -by gravity the base end of each bottle received within'said compartments in direct contact with at least one of said refrigerating units.

4. `A cooler for bottled beverages comprising anv elongated cabinet having insulated side, end and bottom walls, vertically disposed transversely extending refrigerated panels positioned in said i cabinet to divide the interior thereof into a plurality of compartments, each compartment having a pair Vof opposed refrigerated walls, and be- Y ing of such size and shape as to receive af pair of oppositely disposed stacks of bottles, and` .means in said compartments for maintaining'v` each bottle therein in direct contact with a re'.'

frigerated wall.

5. A cooler for bottled elongated cabinet havinginsulated side, end and bottom walls, vertically disposed transversely exy tending refrigerated panels positioned in said cabinet to divide the interior thereof into a pluralityof compartments, each compartment having a pair of opposed refrigerated walls, and be-j ing of such size and shape as to receive a pair of oppositely disposed stacks of bottles, and a pair of bottle supports disposed in each compartment, each bottle support sloping toward a refrigerated wall.

beverages comprising an Y- l 

